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Food Safety

Animal welfare at the time of killing

About the group

In March 2022, the sub-group on animal welfare at the time of killing was established within the EU Platform on Animal Welfare.

The sub-group will provide technical expertise and opinions to the Commission on the ways the Union's instruments can be adapted to improve animal welfare at the time of killing.

The discussion will be of a consultative nature and will participate in the preparation by the Commission of a legislative proposal revising Regulation (EC) No 1099/2009.

The subgroup will work on the killing of animals bred or kept for the production of food, wool, skin, fur or other products as well as the killing of animals for the purpose of depopulation and for related operations. It will not work on the killing of animals during scientific experiments, during hunting or fishing, during cultural or sporting events. The work of the subgroup will cover the killing of male one-day-old chicks.

The composition of the working group is available in the Register of the Commission expert groups.

Meetings 2022

22 November – Seventh meeting of the sub-group on animal welfare at the time of killing

  • Agenda
  • Minutes
  • Presentation – ELPHA - No culling of males doc in layer business
  • Presentation – France - Ban of culling of male day old chicks, Gallus gallus race - Decree 2022-137
  • Presentation – Germany - Prohibition of the killing of day old chicks
  • Presentation – Netherlands - Scenarios for the question “killing day-old chicks of laying breeds”
  • Presentation – Netherlands - An exploration of the ethical dimensions of the alternatives to the killing of day old roosters
  • Presentation - Netherlands - Scenarios for addressing the dilemma of ‘the culling of day-old male chicks of layer breeds’

26 October – Sixth meeting of the sub-group on animal welfare at the time of killing

19 September – Fifth meeting of the sub-group on animal welfare at the time of killing

20 June – Fourth meeting of the sub-group on animal welfare at the time of killing

  • Agenda
  • Minutes
  • Presentation - Subgroup on AW at the time of killing – electric prods
  • Presentation - Use of Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) in the supervision and verification of animal welfare standards in approved premises

30 May – Third meeting of the sub-group on animal welfare at the time of killing

25 April – Second meeting of the sub-group on animal welfare at the time of killing

17 March – First meeting of the sub-group on animal welfare at the time of killing